Advent (Part Six)

Text taken from The Liturgical Year by Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B.

(Translated from the French by Dom Laurence Shepherd, O.S.B.)

Advent. Volume 1. St. Bonaventure Publications, www.libers.com

Originally published 1949.

Republished by St. Bonaventure Publications, July 2000.

Unless otherwise stated, Illustrations are taken from 
Una Voce of Orange County web-site at http://uvoc.org/, 

which reproduced them, with the kind permission of St. Bonaventure Press, from 
The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, 1952 Edition.

The Virgin in Prayer

by Giovanni Battista Salvi "Il Sassoferrato",

Jungfrun i bön (1640-1650). 

National Gallery, London.

(between 1640 and 1650).
(Wikimedia Commons)

Mother of God.

Queen of Heaven.

Mother of the Church.

Mediatrix.

Co-Redemptrix.

Our Lady.

Blessed Virgin Mary.

Ora Pro Nobis.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

"The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship."

From that time, the Roman Church has always observed this arrangement of Advent, which gives it four weeks, the fourth being that in which Christmas Day falls, unless 25 December be a Sunday.

We may therefore consider the present discipline of the observance of Advent as having lasted a thousand years, at least as far as the Church in France kept up the number of five Sundays as late as the 13th-Century.

The Ambrosian Liturgy, even to this day, has six weeks of Advent; so has the Gothic or Mozarabic missal. As regards the Gallican Liturgy, the fragments collected by Dom Mabillon give us no information; but it is natural to suppose with this learned man, whose opinion has been confirmed by Dom Martene, that the Church of God adopted, in this as in so many other points, the usages of the Gothic Church, that is to say, that its Advent consisted of six Sundays and six weeks.

Jacinta Marto.

Photo: 1917.

Source: http://www.todayscatholicworld.com/jacinta-marto-fatima-portugal-1917.jpg

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Shortly before her death at age 9, 

Blessed Jacinta Marto of Fátima asked that everyone consecrate themselves 

to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

With regard to the Greeks, their rubrics for Advent are given in the Menaea, immediately after the Office for 14 November.

They have no proper Office for Advent, neither do they celebrate during this time the Mass of the Pre-sanctified, as they do in Lent.

There are only in the Offices for the Saints, whose Feasts occur between 14 November and the Sunday nearest Christmas, frequent allusions to the birth of the Saviour, to the Maternity of Mary, to the cave of Bethlehem, etc.

On the Sunday preceding Christmas, in order to celebrate the expected coming of the Messias, they keep what they call the Feast of the Holy Fathers, that is the Commemoration of the Saints of the Old Law.

They give the name of Ante-Feast of the Nativity to 20, 21, 22, 23 December; and, although they say the Office of several Saints on these four days, yet the mystery of the birth of Jesus pervades the whole Liturgy.

The Saint Andrew Daily Missal is obtainable from Carmel Books, Blackford House, Andover Road, Highclere, Newbury, Berkshire, England RG20 9PF. Tel: (01635 255340).
E-Mail: enquiries.carmelbooks@gmail.com

THIS CONCLUDES THE ARTICLE ON THE HISTORY OF ADVENT.